a drug that begins to lift depression in just a few hours. and just keep swimming. the 9-month-old babies in the pool who amazed all of us. well, tonight, we learn something even more astounding. what some 4-week-old babies can do. good evening. and we begin with with the breaking news of another safe haven for american families shattered by gun fire. the shooting at the mall outside portland, oregon. those eyewitnesses describing a man with a white mask, body armor, semiautomatic rifle. the gunshots ringing out, one after the other as families were trapped near familiar places. names like macy's and olive garden. it is still a developing story. the news is still coming in.

and for the latest on who was shooting and how many were killed, abc's david wright has these breaking details right now. david? >> reporter: good evening, diane. this is, as you say, a developing story, but here's what we know so far. at least one person killed, possibly more. others injured, in a mall shooting, a shooting that apparently broke out near the food court of the clackamas town center. police say the gunman has been neutralized. unclear if that means he's in custody or dead. just before 3:30 this afternoon when shoppers heard shots run out and people started running. >> i got there two minutes early. i walked through the food court. went downstairs for my kiosk, which is right below the food court. when i got there, i was talking to my employee. we heard a bang. we covered our ears and we got

down. in a matter of five seconds later, we heard rapid fire, bang, bang, and i just took off running. i don't know where my employee is. i heard she's still inside the mall. >> reporter: witnesses described a man what an automatic weapon wearing camouflage ed clothing. many were on the phone with abc's affiliate k-2 in portland, locked inside the mall, describing the terrible skeent of events as it unfolded. one said the mall santa claus dropped to his knees to avoid the gun fire. >> we actually are currently locked inside of a store in the mall with about ten people. and s.w.a.t. teams are going around the mall, trying to apprehend the suspect. i saw two. >> two people shot? >> uh-huh. >> how serious? >> we had to bring sheets out of our back room for them. >> so, it didn't look like they made it? >> no. >> one shopper tweeted out this photo from inside a locked store. police say the gunman has been neutralized, but they are taking precautions, going store to store to see if anyone may still

be trapped inside or if there may be any accomplices. >> at this point, this is no longer an active shooter. we believe the shooter has been neutralized and we are securing the mall, the scene, and treating the wounded. >> reporter: police say the crime scene has calmed down considerably but no indication yet who this gunman might be or what his possible motives might be or even his m.o. was he shooting randomly or at targeted individuals? one thing to underscore here, though, this is the holiday shopping season across the country and this is sure to send shock waves across america as people absorb yet another shooting rampage. diane? >> thank you, david. and i know you'll be tracking the developments tlou s through night on this story. but we move next here to an abc news exclusive. the president sat down with abc's barbara walters at the white house this afternoon. and he said something about syria that signals a whole new day for the u.s. barbara walters is here right now with what happened at the white house today.

barbara? >> reporter: just a year ago this month, i met with president assad in damascus and i questioned him about the slaughter of his people. since then, 40,000 people have been killed. well, today, president obama had some big news. for the first time, he is putting the syrian opposition on the path to be recognized as the new government if and when assad falls. i'd like to talk about syria. do you plan to recognize the opposition and give them some legitimacy? >> we've made a decision that the syrian opposition coalition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the syrian population, that we consider them the legitimate representative of the syrian people, in opposition to the assad regime, and so we will provide them recognition and obviously with that recognition comes the responsibilities on the part of that coalition. >> reporter: that's a big step.

>> it is a big step. there is a small element of those who oppose the assad regime that are, in fact, affiliated with al qaeda in iraq. and we have designated them, al nusra, as a terrorist organization. and we are going to make clear to distinguish between those elements of the opposition. >> reporter: for the president, recognizing the syrian opposition as the legitimate authority in that country, many are asking what this may mean in terms of u.s. involvement. but today, a senior administration official said that there is still no plan to arm this group. yet, the government hasn't ruled it out. meanwhile, the other issue on the forefront of the president's mind today -- the u.s. economy and that pending fiscal cliff. are we going to go over the fiscal cliff? >> you know, i remain optimistic that there are enough people of good will in this town that recognize our economy will be much better off, american

families will be much better off, if we get this done. the most important thing we can do is make sure the middle class taxes do not go up january 1st and i'm pretty confident that republicans would not hold middle class taxes hostage to try to protect tax cuts for high income individuals. >> reporter: prediction. are you going to be able to raise taxes? yes or no? >> oh, taxes are going to go up one way or the other. >> reporter: oh, they are? >> and i think the key is to make sure the taxes go up on high end individuals like you and me, barbara. we can afford it. it is entirely possible for us to come up with a deal. but time is running short. >> reporter: the president sounded optimistic about avoiding the fiscal cliff. he said, of his meeting with speaker boehner, "i think the tone was good. i believe both speaker boehner and myself and the other leaders want to see a deal happen." but diane, he did warn that the clock is ticking. >> it is for sure.

and i know you're going to have more of this interview, we'll all be watching, tomorrow morning on "gma," tonight on "nightline" and the full interview with the president and with mrs. obama will be airing on a special edition of "20/20" on friday night. and, by the way, on that question of the fiscal cliff, i had an extraordinary conversation today in washington, as well. with a group of people who are making history. it has taken 224 years, but for the first time, a record 20 women will be serving in the united states senate. and today, many of them gathered with me and some of them said women do lead in a different way. and women would have already brokered that deal on the fiscal cliff. >> i think, if we were in charge of the senate, and of the administration, that we would have a budget deal by now. >> reporter: do you all believe that? >> yes, without a doubt. >> yes.

>> and what i find, with all due deference to our male colleagues, that women's style tend to be more collaborative. >> i think by nature we are less confrontational and more collaborative. and having us in the room and, i think, you know, all of us, not only do we want to work in a bipartisan way, we do it. >> i want you to know that soon, you'll see the whole interview with the powerhouse women of the senate. they are here to take action. and you have to see what they're going to be saying. and now, we turn to that showdown raging in the heartland of the united states. perhaps no place in america more closely associated with unions than the state of michigan. and today, thousands of union workers descended on the capital to protest a new law they believe could be an ominous signal for unions and worker paychecks everywhere. here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: the anger boiling over.

officers turning to pepper spray to control the crowd at least 10,000 deep. but it wasn't enough. michigan republican lawmakers approving landmark legislation, lifting the requirement that workers in unionized workplaces pay union dues. an army of officers have been guarding the governor's office all day. some of these demonstrators have been here since 5:00 this morning. the republican governor has signed the law. >> with a stroke of a pen, take our rights away. it's offensive. >> reporter: supporters call it right to work, but unions say it's nothing less than an effort to cut their bargaining power. less dues means less influence. the afl-cio says the average worker in right to work states earns $1,500 less than workers in states without those laws. >> these so-called right to work laws, they don't have to do with economics, they have everything to do with politics. what they're really talking about is giving you the right to

work for less money. >> reporter: but supporters say the law encourages business. chris beckering owns a construction company and predicts the bill will allow his company to hire more workers. >> this will attract more businesses to michigan. those businesses will need space and we're here to build it for them. >> reporter: what's remarkable about what happened today is that it happened in michigan, the heart of union country. home of the united auto workers. now michigan will become the 24th right to work state. alex perez, abc news, lansing, michigan. and we have another milestone tonight for american taxpayers. perhaps the most infamous bailout of the whole financial collapse was the rescue of corporate giant aig. taxpayers, you may remember, poured $182 billion into the company to keep it afloat. but today, the u.s. treasury sold its last share of aig stock. and it turns out, taxpayers made a profit of $22.7 billion.

and today, that good news sent a jolt across wall street. the dow closing up, the fifth straight day of gains. the longest rally since march. we want to show you an image that came into our news room today. imagine seeing this through your front windshield. it was the scene on an interstate highway in west virginia today. a massive gas line explosion, flames 75 feet high. so intense firefighters couldn't even approach. eye witnesses say it sounded like a boeing 757. the fire raging for an hour, completely destroying four homes, damaging five others and leaving two people with minor injuries. and now, a major headline for the millions of americans battling depression. 1 in 10 americans take antidepressants, but they can take weeks or months to bring relief. well, now, the national institutes of health is saying they're trying a new kind of medication that may bring relief much faster. abc's chief medical editor dr. richard besser tells us more.

>> reporter: a lifetime of depression lifting in just a few minutes. dennis, suffering for years, had tried pretty much every antidepressant on the market. no response. >> they never helped me at all. >> reporter: but at the national institutes for health, they're trying out a whole new class of antidepressants. drugs that may offer a new path to fighting depression, fast. a couple hours? >> yes, that's all it takes, instead of a couple weeks, we can achieve the same thing in a few hours. >> reporter: typical antidepressants target the serotonin in your brain, a chemical that controls happiness. but you can't tell if the drug is working for four to six weeks. but this new drug is working in a completely different way, targeting the glutamate system, working on neurons that control mood. they seem to show results within hours. for dennis, it's meant a glimpse of a whole new life. >> i c get up in the morning, i can return calls, i can do the things that people do without impairment. it doesn't feel like i have to fight in order to do those routine tasks.

>> reporter: dr. rich 5rd besser, abc news, washington. now, i want to bring everyone up to date on the former president of south africa, the man who ended about p apartheid, nelson mandela. the 94-year-old has been in the hospital since saturday, and until now, we didn't know why. but today, we learned that mandela is receiving treatment for a lung infection. he is said to be responding to treatment tonight and while we await his release, we thought back to that other image, the man who walked free after 27 years in prison. teaching the world not about retribution, but about forgiveness and healing. and still ahead here on "world news," the incredible hit caught on tape, in the heart of holiday shopping in new york city. a real life manhattan murder mystery, tonight. [ male announcer ] when it comes to the financial obstacles

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and now, we take you inside a crime caught on tape. a manhunt is under way tonight for a gunman who struck in broad daylight, in the middle of a crowded street. a young man killed, execution style. here with the new images, abc's john schriffen. >> reporter: this is the chilling image just moments before police say a suspected hit man pulled a gun from his pocket and put a bullet into the back of the head of 31-year-old brandon lincoln woodard, a father and aspiring lawyer from los angeles.

police are now looking for this man, who somehow managed to slip away, with more than a dozen witnesses nearby in manhattan's columbus circle. here's how the calculated murder went down. police say around 1:20 monday afternoon, the suspect arrived at the scene waiting for his victim. 30 minutes later, he gets out of the tan getaway car, talks to his getaway driver and scopes out the scene. watch as multiple people walk by, getting a glimpse of the killer before he pulls his hood up, then begins pacing up and down the block, even passing by his target. minutes later, as woodard walks down this busy street with surveillance cameras catching his every move, the suspect walking up from behind. police say that's when the victim looks up from his phone, instinctively turns around, but decides to keep going. seconds later, around 2:00, that's when police say the suspect pulled out a silver semiautomatic pistol, firing the fatal shot. the hit man then calmly gets into the passenger side of the getaway car and takes off.

>> nobody saw him. there were 50 people at least on that corner, nobody seen the guy. >> reporter: abc news has learned woodard had more than a dozen arrests dating back to 2004. but police say they still don't know why someone wanted him dead. john schriffen, abc news, new york. and coming up next right here, we'll tell you about the stars from "harry potter," back together, with a new and secret movie. that's next. the nightly stuffy nose thing. i can't breathe, so i can't sleep. and the next day i pay for it. i tried decongestants... i tossed and turned... i even vaporized. and then i fought back with drug-free breathe right. these nasal strips instantly open my nose, like a breath of fresh air. i was breathing and sleeping better. [ female announcer ] exercise your right to breathe right. get two free strips at breatheright.com. hey it's your right to breathe right.

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and we take you right to the top of our "instant index" now. filled with some old favorites, starting with harry potter. it turns out the boy wizard is reunited with his friends and now they're shooting a secret film. it's a new mini movie that will only be shown at harry potter theme parks and the earliest we'll be able to see them will be 2014, in california. and, there is a number in the news, about the twinkie, the sugar species about to be extinct. 20,000 is the number, because that's how many twinkies were sent in the farewell shipment to a supermarket chain in chicago. customers lined up in the wee hours of the morning, many stores sold out within minutes. one last sugar rush and then good-bye. and, we have another picture in the news. if you've ever felt inadequate because your next door neighbor has such flashy christmas lights, here's a solution.

in arizona, one house put up 16,000 lights. so daunting, the neighbor next door, kristina green, answered with one word -- ditto. and we sure want to hear what captures your imagination every day, so, tweet me your thoughts for the "instant index," @dianesawyer. and coming up next, everybody was talking about those backstroking babies. well, we'll tell you how young babies can start, and a surprise about how much good it can do. she keeps you guessing. it's part of what you love about her. but your erectile dysfunction - you know, that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain,

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cleaner, fresher, brighter every day. and finally tonight, we have been hearing from you all day long about something incredible we showed you last night. the tiny babies doing a kind of backstroke across a pool. you wanted to know so much more and so, here's abc's sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: william and ellie are like most 9-month-olds. they don't walk or really talk yet. but in the water, they are anything but ordinary. swimming on their backs 25 meters -- about 27 yards. this underwater camera revealing just how confident william is.

watch as he flips himself over. his parents, vic and charley, calm. >> i thought all babies could do it. it wasn't until we were here and all the swimming teachers were so excited about it that we realized just how unusual it was. >> reporter: is this natural ability and instinct? or can it be learned? >> it's a definite combination. >> reporter: at new york's imagine swimming, they teach 6-month-olds how to swim. >> we know some other swim schools in the country that are pioneering and doing, you know, even 4 weeks. >> reporter: 4 weeks old! seem early? studies show babies who swim develop better spatial awareness, coordination and fine motor skills. can she actually swim with these cheeks? i mean, is that possible? still, taking the plunge isn't always easy on a parent. >> the first time is very scary. you're like, no! but then when you see -- they float. >> reporter: instructors say they're struck by the twins' parents. >> mom and dad are very, very relaxed in the water.

they don't panic. >> reporter: it seems the advice is the same for parents and babies. take a deep breath, let go and relax. william and ellie have that part perfected, too. sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> and do it with supervision. and we thank you for watching. we're always here at abcnews.com. "nightline" later. and we want to leave you with something special, every night in december at "world news." a postcard from an affiliate. wdio in duluth, minnesota. by the way, you have to try the onion rings at grandma's restaurant there. but take a look at this. the sprawling holiday light display, it grew from one man's front yard, all the way to bay front park. they call it bentleyville. enjoy. and good night, everybody.

developing news how two people were left bound and gagged on the street. police think they know who did it. >> abc 7 news gives access to storm damaged home. tonight more wet weather is on the way. >> a history making gift to uc berkeley tonight. a million dollar endowment to help undocumented students make it through college. >> high tech feature promise to make the 49ers new stadium a state of the art experience.zy >> and here is the scene now in a shopping center. dozens of gunshots rang out today a mall filled with holiday shoppers. you're looking live. >> witnesses describe the scene inside of the mall as terrifying. here is a live picture over the clackamas town center. 100 officers are looking for

evidence and answers. just updated reporters minutes ago saying three people are now confirmed dead, one, the gunman. two others presumably, shoppers. this started around 3:30 this afternoon. scores of people started calling 911 reporting someone opened fire around the food court area by macy's. >> police say the gunman had some sort of assault rifle. witnesses say he was wearing body armor. police say they have no idea what the motive was. witnesses rrt hearing dozens of shots. some say, 60 or more, police confirmed the gunman is dead and there is no longer a threat at the mall. >> we continue to search looking for anyone else who might be injured. there are several employee who's have hidden in rooms and one at a time we're approaching people gathering and esrt